Tuesday, December 19, 2006

LUSCIOUS PUMPKIN JAM

For Thanksgiving I had made a pumpkin pie and since I still had some puree left, I wondered what I could make with it. So I came up with this "Pumpkin Jam" recipe that I invented on the spurr of the moment...

I had never made "Pumpkin Jam" before and I must say that my creation really made me proud. This jam isn't only good, it's fabulous!!! It is incredibly tasty and delicate. In fact, this "Pumpkin Jam" reminds me a lot of chestnut puree/jam, because the pumpkin (Hokkaido Pumpkin) I used has a very similar flavor and texture. It is for this particular reason that in French, the "Hokkaido Pumpkin" is called "Potimarron" (marron = chestnut). Not to forget that the added spices go perfectly hand in hand with the pumpkin's natural honeyed sweet and rich/deep aromas. It's really a wonderful jam that would make a great Christmas gift!

Method:1. In a pan, stir together all ingredients.2. Bring to the boil.3. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 35 minutes to 1 hour, until thick (see remarks) and transluscent.4. Pour into clean/sterilized jam jars/pots.5. Close the jars hermetically.6. Let cool.

Remarks:I recommend you to use the following pumpkin:Potimarron (French) = Hokkaido Pumpkin = Chestnut Pumpkin = Baby Red Hubbard = Uchiki Kuri = Chinese Pumpkin = Japanese Pumpkin.To obtain fresh puree, take your pumpkin, cut it in half, deseed it and peel it, then cut it in cubes and steam. Once it is cooked, mash the pumpkin flesh. It has to be a very smooth puree.The jam has to be thick and "dry", a bit like chestnut puree/jam.Store at room temperature and keep away from the light. Once opened, keep it in the refrigerator.

Serving suggestions:Spread the jam on a slice of your favorite bread, with homemade scones/biscuits, muffins or pancakes.I guess that it would go well with cheese.

I made this recipe today, but I used an ordinary, halloween pumpkin. It turned out lovely. However, because the water content in these larger pumpkins is far higher it took about 3 hours to boil down to the right thickness using the above amount of water. Hence, if you don't use the type of pumpkin Rosa recommended, don't use the same amount of water! I should have cut it down to about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a cup at the most.

I made this jam today down to the gram and exactly as per instruction however after simmering for 3 hours it was still like soup and VERY sweet, will have to cut back a little bit on the sugar. Any ideas where i've gone wrong?

ANYNYMOUS: Thanks for the comment and for visiting my blog! I'm so sorry to hear that your jam turned out too sweet and liquidy... Did you use Hokkaido Pumpkin? Was your puree dry enough? Yes, it is quite sweet. Of course, you could reduce the quantity of sugar and you could do the same on the water (use 125g water instead)... I hope that helps!

i grew up on pumpkin jam as i was born in Uruguay my mum made it 4 me as a kid n grown up, now she went back to Uruguay with my father retired so i have make my own i use 1 kilo very dark pumpkin and half kilo sugar puree pumpkin in blender then add sugar and a good half handfull of cloves ina removable bag a good tea spoon of vanilla esence half liter o water bring to a boil and turn heat down low for a long time until u lose all water and thickens up u will realise when stop heating and stirring leave overnight then remove clove bag and put into jars best spread for nice bread and delicious on pancakes!!!!

Would be great for me and others if you showed the measurements in both grams and cups/ounces. Thanks! BTW, my mother absolutely begs me to make this jam for her every year. I use Brode Galeux d'Eysines pumpkin and it is great in this recipe. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!

ANONYMOUS: You are welcome. Thanks for passing by and for the comment! Nowadays, most of my measurements are in both grams and cups (depending on the recipe). I recommend you to visit this site as it is very helpful: http://www.calcul.com/cooking-conversionI hope that helps!I've never used that type of pumpkin, but will have a look if i find it here... Cheers.